It is known to inflate an inflatable vehicle occupant protection device to help protect a vehicle occupant. One particular type of inflatable vehicle occupant protection device is an inflatable curtain. An inflatable curtain is inflatable away from the roof of the vehicle and into a position between a vehicle occupant and the side structure of the vehicle.
It is also known to use a fill tube to direct inflation fluid from an inflator to an inflatable curtain. A fill tube typically is an elongated conduit having one end connected to a fluid outlet of the inflator and an opposite end located in the inflatable curtain. The fill tube includes multiple exit ports that are spaced from one another along a length of the fill tube. Inflation fluid exiting the fill tube through the exit ports enters the inflatable curtain to inflate the curtain.
An inflatable vehicle occupant protection device, such as an inflatable curtain, may form a part of an assemblage or module that is shipped to a vehicle manufacturer for installation in a vehicle as a single unit. The module may include the inflatable curtain, the fill tube, and the inflator, or any combination of those components. The module may also include a sheath or housing for containing the inflatable curtain in a stored condition and mounting hardware for connecting the module to the vehicle.
The size of the module can be relatively large, having, for example, a length that stretches the full length of the vehicle occupant compartment. A special shipping container may be required to transport the module to the vehicle manufacturer. Reducing the size of the module for shipping may enable the use of a standard, less expensive shipping container.
Additionally, the size of the module may present difficulties in positioning the module for installation in the vehicle occupant compartment. Improving the module's maneuverability in the vehicle may simplify or reduce the difficulties encountered in installing the module in the vehicle.